


A Ghost of Past and Present

by Squoosh_The_Floof



Category: Cobra Kai (Web Series), Karate Kid (Movies)
Genre: Beta Read, Canonical Character Death, Fights, Ghost!Mr. Miyagi, Johnny Lawrence is touch starved and you can’t change my mind, Martial Arts, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, What the hell did you expect?, children fighting, ha ha ghost be glowy, karate dads make brain go brrr, listen I’m convinced his ghost has been watching the absolute shit show that is Cobra Kai go down, oh yeah and Miyagi’s a ghost, please let them be happy, that could be important, this is a karate show, you can bet your ass I am going to try and fix Johnny and Robby’s relationship
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-03-13
Updated: 2021-03-19
Packaged: 2021-03-20 23:01:24
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 8,645
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/30012303
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Squoosh_The_Floof/pseuds/Squoosh_The_Floof
Summary: The day Mr. Miyagi died Daniel was certain that the word had stopped spinning. That or it shattered into a million small piece almost like some sick type of glitter. He had been there when it happened. Like with his father, he had said his good byes. But no matter how many times he had reminded himself of the man’s words telling him to not let the unchangeable fate of him stop his world it still did. You couldn’t blame him right? It was the second time he had lost a father in his life. Eventually though he found himself back on his feet. From there, things looked up more and more. Rough patches hit, yes, but he preserved through them. Things had finally began to settle with the joined dojo and such, even with the ever looming threat of Kreese and Cobra Kai. Things finally became somewhat normal again.But of course the universe wasn’t that nice, and once again Daniel and a handful of others are faced with a ghost from their pasts. Literally.
Relationships: Daniel LaRusso & Johnny Lawrence, Daniel LaRusso & Mr. Miyagi, Daniel LaRusso & Samantha LaRusso, Daniel LaRusso/Johnny Lawrence, Johnny Lawrence & Cobra Kai Students, Johnny Lawrence & Daniel LaRusso's Family, Johnny Lawrence & Mr. Miyagi, Miguel Diaz & Daniel LaRusso, Miguel Diaz & Eli "Hawk" Moskowitz, Miguel Diaz & Robby Keene, Miguel Diaz & Samantha LaRusso
Comments: 11
Kudos: 32





	1. A Glow Under the Moon

**Author's Note:**

> I do not own any part of the Karate Kid or Cobra Kai series (serieses? Idk man)  
> I am simply a dumbass with au ideas and an ability to write sort of 
> 
> :)

A soft breeze, one smelling of newly sprouted leaves and crisp water, floated through the cool night air. Blades of grass rustled with movement in response to the near silent disturbance. The moon, full and bright in all her glory, lit the yard and small house that sat on the property. Gravel courtyard, small pond in which a wooden wheel floated, lush floral surroundings, the small wooden deck, and all the rest. The lot was at peace, as was its seemingly sole resident.

On the small deck sat a man, glowing under the soft moonlight from above. He was a small man, true, but he looked at peace. A small smile tugged at his lips as he sat on that porch, memories of this place and others similar to it playing behind closed eyes. Occasionally a sad one would surface, though most remained happy and positive. Memories including his late wife, or the young boy who he had met while working at a small apartment complex, or the small girl who had practically seen him as a grandfather: the people that had surrounded him throughout his life. Who knows how long it had been since he had last spoken to them. Although there was no definite time, if you were to ask him he would say it was too long. 

It got lonely out in the small house, alone with interaction dangled right in front of you. It really did. He would admit that. But, like all things, he adapted. With each day he got more and more used to his attempts at conversation or calls to gain someone’s attention or warn them going unheard. He came to peace with the fact that a normal conversation with those he saw would be out of his reach for the rest of his time, if not just the foreseeable future. Sometimes that really was just the best thing to do. Accept what has happened, and that you cannot change what has been pushed into your path by the universe. That was all he could really do now. And accept the facts he did. Moving on though proved to be a different story.

It was confusing. Truly it was. Try as he might, figuring out just what was going on with him only led back to an unknown point or mystery that had yet to be solved. He was aware of what had happened, what led him to this state of being. Alone yet surrounded by people; and people he knew too, almost as to add insult to injury. Many nights he found himself awake, not that he slept much to begin with, thinking over why he had not moved on yet. Clearly time had passed since his last interaction when he first appeared, and he had a guess as to why, but why bring him back to this place to begin with? Truly he didn’t understand.

Which is what led him here now. Another sleepless night sitting beneath the moon, reminiscing over the past and, as the memories faded, he found himself pondering over any possible reason for him having been brought back here. A soft, ghostly breath left his lungs, barely audible in the dead of the night. Even if it were to be he knew no difference would be made. The most it would do would be rustling a few blades of grass and were anyone around to hear it they would write it off as the wind and pay it no mind. 

He had succeeded a couple of times, in moving things that is. Physical things, not what he usually found moveable. The world seemed to act like the people in it, like he was invisible, but he had adapted. That didn’t stop him from finding himself still doing old mannerisms if his, only to be hit with realization when they didn’t work. It had almost become comical. However, sometimes things _did_ move. He had rearranged things on a table once only to hear a shocked exclamation moments later from the boy, who had grown into a man over the years. Another time he had patted the man’s shoulder, causing said man to flinch back with wide eyes and frantically search for who had touched him. One of the most recent instances had been in a cemetery. He had not been there himself but he could hear the man speaking. With a small smile he had repeated one of the lessons he had once taught the man back when he was just a boy. He could tell the man heard him. That was enough to keep him smiling for a while. 

Nothing had really happened since that though. He still watched all he could, repeating small phrases and reminders when the man needed them. There wasn’t much else he could do. When he was alone sometimes he would rearrange things or replace things that were out of place. If the small things went noticed by those who frequented the small house then nothing was said and it was often chalked up to someone else or bad memory. The small phrases that were genuinely heard were chalked up to it just being their head or them hearing things. Even he knew it should be those things. But there was the problem again. It should be, but it _wasn’t_. It wasn’t and he had no clue why. So, as his free time was often spent nowadays, he once more sat on that deck, breathing softly while thinking. 

With each steady rise and fall of his chest, something he found wasn’t at all necessary but rather something he found himself doing out of habit and for comfort, he thought further back into the odd experiences he could remember. There weren’t many from between the last time he spoke to anyone and when he woke up here. Like a missing piece of the film. He’s certain that he spoke to people after everything had faded, people he knew who were like him almost. They too had watched everything fade, nor were they seen or heard by others. The only thing was that they weren’t stuck here. Outside of them though he doesn’t remember much of anything. He woke up here and that was that. Certainly a mystery. 

Lost in his thought, the man didn’t manage to hear the soft footsteps from inside. He didn’t hear the door slide open, nor did he hear the mumbling voice of the man who had been padding around inside the house for the past hours. None of the man’s conversation with the small tree he held in his hands reached him. None of the moment caught his attention. Not until the sound of shattering clay rang out in the dead of the night. 

In a brief panic and surprise at the sound, the old man turned around. Across the deck, in the doorway of the small house, stood none other than Daniel LaRusso. Grown into a man over the years with a family of his own, he stood there. He stood there with his mouth hanging open like he was a cod fish. His chocolate brown eyes, wide as dinner plates, locked with those of the man who sat on the porch, glowing beneath the moonlight. The bonsai tree and it’s now shattered pot lay forgotten on the deck as Daniel softly worked his mouth into motion. Only one thing was spoken in that deafening silence. One soft little question. A little mumble full of disbelief and surprise. A name.

“Mr. Miyagi…..?”


	2. Across the Porch

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey I now have a tumblr for updates on this story and other possible future projects! Find me at squoosh-the-floof-writes if you wanna :)  
> As before, I don’t own any of the characters in The Karate Kid or Cobra Kai. Enjoy!

Daniel’s legs seemed to morph into jello as he stared. Multiple times he blinked, certain that the image before him would fade like some shadow or optical illusion. Each time his eyes still settled on the softly glowing figure in front of him. There was absolutely no way that what he was seeing was possible. He had to be seeing things. Either that or he was dreaming. A quick pinch to the arm left a prickling pain followed by its ghostly red mark to prove it had been there; more than enough proof that he was not, in fact, dreaming. The new information and debunking of the most logical scenario in which this situation would happen left his brain searching for any other explanation for what he was seeing. He had ruled out this all being in his head alongside the dreaming explanation, sure that after the amount of blinking and aggressive eye rubbing that he had done that there was no way this could be his eyes playing tricks on him. Still the ghostly figure of his mentor and friend stood in front of him. Still the man sat there with the patient smile that Daniel had seen so many times before. The brunette was about ready to chalk it up to it being someone else entirely and his eyesight just being that bad when a soft voice that held a ghostly echo to it reached his ears.

“Hello Daniel-San.”

And with those simple words any logical explanation vanished.

His jello legs turned fully to a liquid state, knees falling to opposite sides of the bonsai and its shattered pot. Now fully sitting, his hands rested in his lap. Shaky eyes filled with warm tears which flowed silently down the man’s face, the salty liquid leaving shimmering trails in their wake under the moonlight. Not once did he allow his eyes to leave the spectral figure that stood before him, locking onto him even through tear filled eyes. His breathing was shallow, chest barely a rise and fall as he sat there overcome by the wave of emotions he had never expected he would feel. It was one thing to see someone you hadn’t seen in years, like an old friend or a family member who you only saw at reunions and the odd family get-togethers. But to see your mentor and friend, who had become like a father to you over the years, 7 years after he died? That was just a new level of emotion shock. 

The man before him looked exactly as he remembered finding him in his little room in the South Seas apartment complex back in 1984. Smaller built frame, hair starting to bald at the top of his head, soft features and that smile which seemed to always be able to calm him even in the worst of situations. He stood there in a simple outfit, a light tan button up and a pair of slightly darker tan pants to match in likeness. Although his appearance was practically the exact same as it was when Daniel had first met him though, there were still some key differences to the man. For example, he was translucent. As in through him Daniel could roughly still see the backyard of the property. Around his ghostly sensei a soft blue glow shone. It was as if the moon was reflecting off of him, only the glow was not from the moon but him himself. He would have argued that the moon had a role in the brightness of the glow had the ghostly man actually left a shadow. However, no such thing happened. He was there, now standing, on the porch, a ghostly glowing figure under the moonlight.

Miyagi’s eyes remained locked on the man as Daniel collapsed to his knees. Not once did he let his smile fade, not that he’s too sure it would on its own. In his mind, multiple thoughts swirled and crashed like waves on an ocean. Thoughts of why he was able to be seen and how that was possible now but not before. A deep breath found its way into his lungs and right back out as soon as it came. With that breath came a thought that seemed to tame the raging seas of his mind, halting the spinning and thrashing thoughts that had previously occupied the space. A singular thought powerful enough to spread an old familiar warmth through his heart: _he can see me._

The thought was enough to keep that smile on his face as he worked his legs into motion. Across the porch in small, nearly silent strides he moved, walking around the man to kneel by his side. His head bowed as he reached to pick up the small bonsai tree that had been left pot-less, rising once again with the rest of his posture as he sat back up. His eyes met the tear filled, chocolate brown ones of his former student, his head tilting softly as he shifted the bonsai to one hand and laid the now free one on Daniel’s back. 

“Come.” The word was soft, holding that ghostly echo it now did as it left his mouth. “You go inside, I make you tea. Then, we talk. You look like you’ve seen ghost.”

Daniel didn’t get a chance to respond to the joke as the old man rose, walking into the house as his laughter echoed throughout the night air and the small house. The tears had slowed, his breathing slightly less shallow. His eyes had dropped to the deck, mind swirling with so many thoughts. What he had seen, what was happening- what was with it all? He didn’t understand and he had so many questions. So many questions he hoped the man could answer, both relating to now and the past. So many questions about how this was even possible.

“Daniel-San! In!”

Guess there was only one way to answer them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A shorter chapter for today. He has been seen and Daniel took it about as well as you would expect someone who just saw their dead mentor/friend/father figure.  
> Up next: Daniel and Miyagi talk  
> Stay tuned!


	3. Over a Cup of Tea

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I do not own the characters from The Karate Kid or Cobra Kai
> 
> Enjoy!

Well, this was….certainly something. 

In his hands sat a singular small cup, it’s contents steaming and infusing the air with the scent of freshly brewed tea. The warmth from the liquid seeped through the walls of the small traditional cup in which it was held and into his hands. How said appendages remained still was far beyond his knowledge. The skin over his cheeks and under his eyes had tightened, a reminder of the tears that had stained them only a few minutes ago. He was almost certain that he had now studied the grain of the small table in front of him enough that he would be able to tell it apart from any other by looking at a single corner. His eyes remained wide, eyebrows furrowed softly as his mouth hung open in a small “o” shape. Across from him, that same soft blue glow still emanated from the ghostly man even in the soft lighting of the house. Talk about an interesting way to spend your Friday night. 

“I-“ Daniel spoke, his shaken, soft voice breaking the calm silence that had been previously held between the two men. 

“Am confused?” MiyagI questioned, finishing the sentence with the raise of an eyebrow and the soft tilt of his head. 

“I- yeah...yeah, I am.” One of Daniel’s hands left the tea cup to hold his head, a sigh pulling itself from the man’s lungs as his eyes fell from the table to the softly rippling liquid in the cup which he held. What else was he supposed to say? Hey, it's great to see you again? How have you been?? No, sorry but that really didn’t fit the swirling and crashing thoughts and emotions of his mind. “I….I’ve got so many questions a-and...and so much to say, I-“

MiyagI held up a gentle hand, the soft motion silencing Daniel flawlessly. His eyes met those of the man across from him, the chaos behind Daniel’s drawing a softly huffed laugh and shake of the head from the man. “Daniel-San, you forget basic of life.” 

Daniel stopped, his mind doing a double take while his eyes blinked and his eyebrows furrowed further. “Wha-“

“ _Breathe._ ” 

And then there was silence. Silence as Daniel processed what he was just told. Silence while MiyagI sat there across the table from him with that like smile of his on his face. Silence...and then laughter. Soft laughter that accompanied a smile on the face of Daniel LaRusso as he shook his head. He looked up to the man, still shaking his head softly as he sighed. The sound, although quiet, held no sad tones. 

“Even in death you're still harping on me for stuff like that, ey?” He asked, smile holding it’s place on his face as he spoke.

“Have been this whole time.” Miyagi replied with a simple smile, eyes carrying the look over to convey it across his whole face. “You’ve heard. Like at graveyard.”

Daniel froze, eyes widening once again. His mouth dried out, feeling as if in a matter of seconds it had become a desert baking out under the heat of the sun. All breath was pulled from his throat in a soft exhale. His world, which had only previously started spinning again, came screeching to a halt once more. His mouth fell open and within only a few seconds of it having happened his thoughts began gushing out, brain to mouth with no filter like water out of a dam. 

“That was you?!” He yelped, “A-as in actually you and not just my memory? Bit...but how? I was all the way out there! Not even remotely close to here! Did you follow me? Can you do that? Where you the one who kept-“

“Daniel-San. Breathe.” The simple instruction shut the man’s mouth though no breathing was heard. Miyagi sighed softly, taking a deep breath and motioning for Daniel to do the same. For a minute, the silence of the small house was filled with nothing but breathing. Soft inhales and exhales of man and ghost. Such a simple action that managed to bring great amounts of balance to the uneasy mind. As the minute came to a close, Miyagi spoke again. 

“I did not follow you,” he stated with a soft sigh, “cannot leave property.”

Daniel’s face softened, his shoulders dropping with a soft exhale. “Oh….I see. But how did you-“

“Again I do not know, Daniel-San.” Miyagi said with a soft shake of the head. “Everything fade, then Miyagi see wife and father, then wake up here. You didn’t hear Miyagi for long time, only on occasion. Like graveyard. Miyagi heard you and responded. You heard.”

Daniel’s eyebrows furrowed, his lips pursing into a tight line as he nodded. “Ok….so you’ve been here for a while but no one saw or heard you. Got it. What about the moving objects or the feeling of a hand on my shoulder when I’ve been here alone. Was that you too?”

“Hai.” 

Again Daniel’s head bobbed in a nod, his eyes wandering to the floor as he set the tea cup on the table. This, all of this, it was so much to take in. Mr. Miyagi had been here for god knows how long, basically alone, and he had never once realized. In his defense, who would really think about their dead sensei being back as a ghost in his old house/dojo? Oh but even with that reasoning it couldn’t stop Daniel from feeling bad. The knowledge of said ghost having been here so long made him wonder what he had all seen and heard, curiosity getting bad enough to warrant him opening his mouth to ask. Though his ghost friend seemed to have different ideas.

“Daniel-San should get to bed.” Miyagi said, rising from his seat on the floor without another word.

“Wha- Mr. Miyagi!” Daniel protested, feeling the ghostly man’s hands on his shoulders willing him to stand up. 

“It’s late and you’re tired. Miyagi can tell.” The ghost stated, his words somehow both soft and firm. “Come now. Up. You get to bed.”

The brunette found himself standing without any thought behind the action. His head turned to look over his shoulder as the ghost began to shoo him off towards the small bed that was still kept in the house. “Mr. Miyagi, I’m not even that tired. I’ll drive home later and get some sleep, promise. I just-“

“Miyagi still be here in morning. Going nowhere. Trust Miyagi, I know.” Miyagi said with a small laugh, ushering Daniel off to the bed once more. 

“But-“

“Daniel-San.”

The single name mention hushed Daniel, leaving him to be gently guided until he was sitting down in the old yet familiar bed. He sighed, crawling under the covers without protest. What was even the point by now? Miyagi would find a way to counter it and then he’d be out of hope. Gosh, it was like it was the summer of 1985 all over again. Though, maybe that wasn’t a bad thing. 

“Goodnight, Mr. Miyagi,” Daniel sighed, his exhaustion working its way into his voice followed by a yawn as his eyelids began to droop. Maybe he was more tired than he had initially thought. 

“Goodnight Daniel-San,” Miyagi said softly, nodding to the man before leaving the room and closing the door behind him. Turning off the lights was simple enough, not much had changed from before, leaving the ghost alone in the house. After only a few minutes soft snoring could be heard from behind the guest room door, bringing a small smile to the man’s face as well as a little eye roll. And Daniel said he wasn’t tired.

All was peaceful once more in the night on the small lot hidden from those who didn’t know of its existence. The only light came from either the moon or Miyagi himself, leaving the rest mostly under the dark shadow of the night. At least until a little buzz brought Daniel’s forgotten phone to life, the screen illuminating a small portion of the counter it sat on. On the screen read a small notification. 

(1) Johnny Lawrence: HEY YOU HAVE PLANS FOR TOMORROW LARUSSO? IF NOT IM COMING OVER. I HAVE IDEAS I WANT TO TALK TO YOU ABOUT

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The first actual conversation that isn’t only like- six words long! Wow! Poor Daniel, he has so many thoughts and questions. Too bad Miyagi knows when he’s tired. You must sleep, Daniel! And by the looks of that text player 3 will be joining the story very very soon so be on the lookout for chapter four!


	4. Dreams, Thoughts, and a Bonsai to Prove it all Wrong

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters from The Karate Kid or Cobra Kai
> 
> Enjoy!

Night passed and morning came just as any other day, the sun shining as it crossed the California horizon into view of the residents there. Just as any other day Daniel found his eyes fluttering open as his internal clock began waking up his brain. The sound of birds chirping reached the sleepy man’s ears, followed by the smell of a lush garden and tea that accompanied the small hidden oasis of the dojo. A small groan crawled it’s way out of the man’s throat as he shifted under the blankets, his face thoroughly buried into the pillow he had used overnight. A few minutes passed, the birds only seeming to get louder with each passing second until they seemed louder than Daniel’s own thoughts. With a reluctant groan he sat up, the blanket that had recently been over his body falling lifeless off his shoulder. His legs swung over the side of the bed as his mind began to fully process what he was seeing. What had happened. 

_God, I get it. I’m up, I’m up._ He grumbled to himself mentally, taking in the facials scent of the house through a deep breath. His shoulders slumped over with the exhale, his head falling into his hands. _Right. Last night. I….I had to be dreaming, right?_ He asked himself, memories of last night’s encounter flooding back to his head. The bonsai, the shattered pot, the tea, and….. _Mr. Miyagi…._ Daniel shook his head, pinching the bridge of his nose between his index finger and thumb. No, he had to have been dreaming. Clearly he was more tired than usual last night, so maybe a mess of emotions he didn’t know he was bottling had gotten to him and he started hallucinating. Or maybe he thought he had seen something outside and after shattering the bonsai’s pot he had gone to bed and dreamt up the rest of the interaction. Surely that couldn’t have actually happened right?

His feet shuffled across the floor as Daniel made his way out of the guest room and into the main of the small house. This place held so many memories for him, no wonder a sleep deprived Daniel would start hallucinating. As his eyes adjusted to the light however, a flash of a new, out of place color caught his attention. Something green and….alive. There on the small table sat the same bonsai he was certain he had dropped last night, in a new pot and doing just fine as far as he could tell. Next to the little pot and tree sat a small cup and a sheet of paper, the discovery tugging at Daniel’s curiosity until it dragged him over to look at it. On the paper, in a far too familiar handwriting, was a small message scrawled out.

_It rude to accept tea and not drink, no?  
Also, next time don’t leave bonsai just on deck. Very bad for it.  
-Miyagi_

His eyes scan the note easily ten times over, him certain he’s seeing things again or still dreaming. There’s….there’s no way…..but all the proof is in front of him, right there without fail. The repotted bonsai and the now empty tea cup. That and the note he held in his hand which was written with such a handwriting that it couldn’t have been written by anyone else. There was no way possible. The three simple things laid out in front of him showed more than enough to rule out last night having not happened or having been a hallucination. Mr. Miyagi was here, a ghost but here. And said fact set fire to a little spark in Daniel’s heart that he didn’t think he’d feel again. 

The door opened with ease, his sock clad feet padding their way onto the porch. A hand flew up out of reflex to shield his squinting eyes from the sun that was now launching a direct attack on his retinas. The shattered pot and remaining dirt no longer littered the wooden porch he stood on. His eyes darted from detail to detail of the small yard, looking for the smallest hint of the ghostly man. Nothing appeared. No glow, no familiar form: nothing. A sigh pulled itself from his lungs, his shoulders dropping once more. Gosh, what was he thinking? His Sensei a ghost? Come on, get it together LaRusso. His brain, still feeling the after effects of having woken up under 30 minutes ago, seemed ready to chalk the note and tree up to him being more tired and emotionally controlled then he initially thought, perhaps even drunk, when a soft hand rested itself on his shoulder. 

Daniel sprang away, his eyes wide as he whipped around to see who the hell was on the property and what the hell they wanted with him. He expected to find someone like Sam or one of the other students, judging by the softness of the touch. His eyes found someone else instead. There, smiling back at him just as he had last night, was Mr. Miyagi. Ghostly glow and all. The spark in his heart relit in an instant, rushing him forward without a second thought to wrap his arms around the ghostly man in a hug. It was a relief, to say the least, to feel a lack of retracting from the ghost. It was like he knew Daniel needed this. Then again, it really wasn’t past him to know as far as Daniel was sure. 

“Mr. Miyagi….I wasn’t dreaming- I- you’re really-“ Daniel sputtered as he leaned into the hug. It felt so real. No doubt it was, he's seen enough proof to know that it is, but the airy feeling to the man he was currently mid-embrace with served as enough of a reminder to keep the memory that Miyagi was in fact dead in his mind. His mind was once more going a million miles a minute, racing a little more with each new thought that appeared in his brain. “You- I- oh my goodness, I thought- and-“

As he released the man, a single pointed look from the ghost shut his mouth and brought forth a soft giggle. 

“Ah right, breathe. Basic of life. Still on me about that.” Daniel laughed, smiling at the man.

“Miyagi on you about it because you keep forget it,” Miyagi responds with a simple small poke to Daniel’s chest and a small smile. “And good morning to you too, Daniel-San.”

“Yeah. Yeah, good morning Mr. Miyagi.” The brunette smiled, inhaling deeply before following it with an exhale of the same quality. He didn’t know how something as simple as breathing could hold such a calming effect but he certainly wasn’t complaining. “I….forgive me, but I still can’t believe that you’re...well…here.”

“Miyagi said he still be here in morning, no?” The ghost asked with a little raise of his eyebrow.

“I- well, yes, you did. And I didn’t doubt you! I just…” Daniel paused, “I guess I thought I was still dreaming or seeing things for a little while this morning.”

The ghostly man nods, humming a little note of acknowledgement as his mind works to come up with a solid answer to Daniel’s words. 

“Miyagi don’t blame you,” he starts, “was a shock to him at first too. But, you get used to it with time.”

Daniel’s eyebrows furrow softly for a moment, before relaxing as his mind fully accepts what he had been told. “Right. Heh guess time will show how well I do that, huh?”

Miyagi sighs, shaking his head. “You learn just fine, Daniel-San. Miyagi has hope for you.” 

Daniel laughed, the sound full of pure joy for the first time in….gosh, when was the last time he genuinely laughed, huh? He couldn’t recall, at least not right now. It was still too early, at least to him at the moment, and he had other things on his mind. Other more important things like the-

“Hey LaRusso, you didn’t answer the message I sent so I figured that you weren’t- what in the genuine fuck?” A familiar voice spoke, following the closing creak of the wooden gate. Daniel’s eyes snapped straight to the owner of said voice, his face going from a look of joy to worry. From where the ocean blue eyes were focused on through golden bangs he could tell he wasn’t the only one who saw the ghost in front of him. What worried him was how Goldilocks, high school King Karate, Johnny fucking Lawrence was going to take seeing his ghost Sensei. Especially considering the few interactions he's had with the man. 

“Is there….something you wanna tell me, LaRusso?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I give you, the morning after. Well, almost afternoon. I’m imagining Daniel slept in a little. It’s Saturday, don’t blame the man. Oh and look who’s here! Welcome to the show, Johnny! This shall be fun. Stay tuned for chapter five!


	5. A Himbo, A “Genius”, and the Man with a Working Brain

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters from The Karate Kid or Cobra Kai 
> 
> Enjoy!

Blue eyes snapped back and forth between the two figures. One, the still shorter but less in hindsight brunette, he was used to seeing on an almost daily basis at this point in his life. What with the combined dojo and the united fight against the dickbag known as John Kreese for not only their kids but the safety of those under his manipulation, like Robby. Hell, he had even become somewhat used to _texting_ the loudmouth! Something he had, admittedly, never thought he would say or even think. The other, well, safe to say he wasn’t expecting to see him ever again. The last time he saw him, at least that he remembers, was from a seat on the curb outside the All Valley Sports Arena back in 1984 after a rather...memorable interaction with his former sensei. As for the last time he heard about the man it was a little while back from Daniel. Maybe a couple odd times here or there. But that wasn’t what was throwing him off, no. That honor goes to what he remembers being told. He believes, if his memory serves him right that is, that the last he heard of the man was him being...well, ya know, _dead._ As in deceased. No longer among the living. Six feet under. For _years_ too. Call him crazy but he was pretty sure that meant that Daniel’s old sensei shouldn’t be staring back at him. 

“Johnny! I…..I can explain-“ Daniel sputtered out, words falling from his mouth faster than he could genuinely give them any thought.

“Ah, save it LaRusso. I don’t need an explanation,” Johnny spoke, his words holding a distant feel as he held up a hand to shush Daniel. The man’s mouth opened in protest to the hand, a much different reaction then when he was given the same thing by his ghost sensei. Johnny’s eyes snapped to him, wide with furrowed brows and a look somewhere between confusion and what Daniel could swear was fear on his face. If it weren’t for the seriousness and tension hanging in the air and making it almost too heavy to breathe he would have laughed at the sight of such terror on Johnny’s face. The blond’s lips parted once more, words forming after some apparent difficulty. “I want you to tell me either that I’m dreaming or that some fucker spiked my drink last night.”

Daniel sighed, a look of muted disappointment and embarrassment replacing the previously there joy and then terror on his face. Of course this is the first interaction Johnny has with Miyagi after the parking lot. Of course it is. He doesn’t respond to Johnny, his mouth suddenly a lot drier than he had originally remembered it being. 

“Oh do not worry. Johnny-san. Not dreaming, or drunk,” Miyagi assures the blond with a warm chuckle, a sound that brings a soft smile to Daniel’s face. How he missed that sound. As many times as it was directed at him he really had missed it. “Even Miyagi not know how he’s here. Just am. Have been for while now.”

As much as Johnny wants to flood Daniel and this man, who he still thinks he’s hallucinating, with questions he holds back. Nodding along with Miyagi’s words, he tries to work out what he’s all hearing. What he’s seeing. All of this really. 

“Wait wait wait pause.” He interjects at the next pause in conversation. “You mean to tell me that somehow, someway, you’re back basically from the dead like in those old zombie movies-“

“He’s more like a ghost.” Daniel grumbles, rolling his eyes. An action which flawlessly gets Johnny’s attention. 

“Oh I’m sorry. Do you have something to say to me LaRusso?”

“I’m just saying that Mr. Miyagi isn’t some mindless zombie!” Daniel growled softly, taking a step towards Johnny as his posture fixed itself almost like to try and make him seem more threatening. “He’s more of a ghostly spirit who has been trapped here at the dojo for at least a couple months, maybe longer! He’s still fully himself, trust me, and considering where you are it’s rather rude to compare him to something like that!” 

“I asked you if you were free and you didn’t respond so I took that as a yes!”

“When the hell did you ask-“

“Daniel-San! Johnny-San!” Miyagi’s voice split the growing argument like a knife through butter. The two turned to the ghost, who had moved over the course of the bickering to stand between and off to the side of the two. His eyes were closed, eyebrows slightly furrowed. His tone, though sharp, held no anger or negativity. “You two grown men, no?”

Johnny and Daniel glanced up to each other, brown eyes meeting blue. _Is he serious?_ Johnny seemed to ask, to which Daniel responded with a silent _Go with it._

“Um….yes?”

“Then act like it instead of bickering like you in high school still.” 

A choked sputter sounded from both men at the comment, eyes wide and mouths slightly agape. Silence falls once more like a blanket over the three on the porch, not much else to be said. Time passes, the only sounds being the chirp of birds and the soft woosh of the three of them breathing. After a minute or two, Daniel could feel the gaze pumping into the side of his head. Like all those comics about laser vision. Well, he was convinced that Mr. Miyagi had it, even as a ghost. 

“I…...sorry Johnny.” He said with a sigh, locking eyes with the blond the first chance he got in hopes of being able to work a returned apology out of him. Though he would prefer doing it without feeling like a five year old who had just been scolded by their mother. “I shouldn’t have jumped to a fight like that.” 

Johnny blinks for a moment at the, what he can tell is a, genuine apology. His lips slowly twist into a smirk, the same one from high school, as he crossed his arms. “Thank you LaRusso. I’m _sorry_ that I forgot the difference between a ghost and a zombie. Forgive me, I’ve never seen either in person before~.”

A small growl formed itself in Daniel’s throat, Johnny’s cocky, trademark, Californian heartthrob smirk only fueling the fire of it. The muscles in his upper lip twitched, threatening to pull his lips back into a snarl. Thank goodness for the ghostly hand on his shoulder. 

“There, not hard no?” Miyagi asked, his soft smile returning to his features. His hands, one resting on each of the two men’s shoulders, gave a gentle squeeze. “Now, breathe. In……”

An audible inhale from the three.

“Out….”

The matching exhale.

The ghost smiled at the two, the look having not changed once over the years spent invisible. Without another word, only a motion that could roughly translate to “follow me,” he walked inside leaving the two men outside. Alone together. Silence held for a moment or two, no longer and no shorter, before a snicker broke out between the two.

“Now I really see where you get it from, LaRusso.” Johnny teased through his muffled laughter, playfully delivering a punch to Daniel’s shoulder. The man rocked back in response to the attack before returning it just as it had been dealt.

“Hey, that’s like- the third time he’s had me do that you know. And you say I’m bad with the breathing reminders.”

“Oh I can’t even imagine.” Johnny’s laughter died down with time, his eyes now fixating forward onto the closed door. Countless thoughts raced through his head, though only one verbalized itself in the form of words. “So…..all of this…”

“Yeah….” Daniel’s eyes drifted to the side, a hand coming to rub sheepishly at the back of his neck. “It’s….a lot for sure. Took me a whole night to get it. You wanna head in and talk about it?”

“I think that’d be the best for the both of us for onc-“

Johnny’s words came to a halt as a low sound reached his ears. One that almost sounded like growling. His eyes flicked to Daniel, mouth open to ask the man if he too had heard the odd sound. Instead, he got his answer without even having to say so much as a word. Daniel’s stiff stature and rosy cheeks spoke enough on their own, the arm wrapped around his stomach only serving as further proof. The blond felt a grin split his face, a hand coming up to clap Daniel on the shoulder. 

“How about we get you something to eat, _then_ talk. Gosh and you say I’m bad with taking care of myself.” Johnny teases, trademark smirk standing true.

Daniel only laughs, shoving the hand off his shoulder in a playful manner. “Yeah. Yeah that sounds great, Johnny.”

The taller of the two smiled, stepping forward and pulling the door open. With a simple gesture, he spoke. 

“After you, _Miss_ ~”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And the himbo joins the club! Three old timers assembled, what will they do now? Well, seems like breakfast for poor Daniel is a priority but other then that and some conversation who knows! Stay tuned!!


	6. Now This Might Sound Crazy

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I do not own the characters from The Karate Kid or Cobra Kai
> 
> Enjoy!

“Ok so let me make sure I’m hearing this right. Your old sensei Mr. Miyagi, who _died_ roughly nine years ago, has been a ghost for God knows how long, has seen pretty much anything that’s happened here, and can even hear you sometimes even when you're not around?”

“I mean….yeah, you pretty much hit the nail on the head with that.”

“And he can’t leave this house?”

“Well, it’s the property that he can’t-“

“Same thing. So that’s a yes?”

“Yeah.”

“Annnnd last night was the first time you saw him, like as a ghost.”

“Bingo.”

“Huh. Well alright then.”

The blond and brunette fell silent, not a word spoken between the two of them for a few heavy minutes. 

Johnny’s eyebrows were furrowed, lip caught between his teeth as his mind attempted to process what exactly he had just been told over the last half an hour. Daniel’s sensei was a ghost, has heard and seen almost everything that had gone on in this dojo since who knows when, and now for suddenly no reason whatsoever they could see and hear him again just like if he was alive. What. The. Actual. Fuck? As if this whole combined dojo thing wasn’t enough of a headache to grasp at times.

Meanwhile, Daniel faced his own dilemma. He remained seated across from Johnny, eyes once more studying the grain of the wooden table between them. Occasionally his eyes would flick up to find the blond just as he had last seen him: confused, a little concerned, and the scariest of all, silent. Johnny Lawrence was silent and, if he had learned anything about the man in his time knowing him, it was never a good thing when the words “Johnny Lawrence” and “silent” were in the same sentence and in correlation with each other. Normally the letters would rearrange themselves to spell out one of three things. A) “Run.” B) “Oh no.” or C) “Disaster.” In the worst cases, it was all three. Daniel was hoping that this time it wasn’t any of them. The longer the silence held, the more worried he became.

“Ok!” The word shattered the silence like a baseball to a window, warranting the small jolt from Daniel. The smaller man’s eyes shot up to meet ones of ice blue. Terror flashed through his own chocolate brown irises just as it did stab him like an icicle to the heart. The feeling, at least any visible sign of it, vanished as quickly as it came. Once more the blond spoke. “As weird as this is, do we have any idea as to why the fuck it’s happening? Anyone?”

Both Miyagi and Daniel shook their heads, the ghost joining the other two at the table. The whole glowing thing was certainly something that would take some time to get used to, especially at night. Gosh, Johnny didn’t have a clue as to how the hell Daniel managed to seemingly ignore that at night when it’s dark. Silence held for a few more seconds before the ghostly echoing voice reached both Daniel and Johnny’s ears. 

“Not sure at all.” Miyagi spoke, his voice soft. “It like Daniel-San said. Miyagi watch everything fade, see wife and father, then wake up here. Seemed invisible until last night, when Daniel-San saw Miyagi.”

Johnny glanced from the ghost to Daniel, who gave him nothing more than a small nod. Johnny didn’t need to know about the crying, or the bonsai that now sat on the counter, or his impromptu sleepover. Actually, Johnny didn’t need to know about much of last night at all. The blond turned his head back to the ghost, nodding. 

“Ok, so we’re clueless as to why out of nowhere Daniel can suddenly see and hear you. Got it.” Johnny paused for a second, thinking. “You think this is some sort of a teacher-returns-to-teach-student-one-last-lesson type deal? Like, the relationship between you two wasn’t done teaching one or both parties some lesson so the universe or whatever said “go back.”?”

“Well,” Daniel hummed, shifting to hold his chin in his hand as he thought over what Johnny had proposed, “that would make sense, were this some movie. However, it isn’t and there’s a factor that messes with that theory.”

“And that would be?”

“ _You._ ” The word was short yet stiff on Daniel’s tongue. He didn’t need to think before he said it, knowing full well that he was right in terms of Johnny’s proposal. The look on the man’s face drew an explanation from him. “As in, why can _you_ see him too then Johnny? Assuming your theory was right, why can you see him too?”

Johnny’s shoulders drop, his hand coming up slowly to massage at the space between his eyes over the bridge of his nose. “I….I don’t have a clue,” He mumbled voice soft and almost a grumble. “This is….a mess.”

“You could say that again.”

Silence fell for a minute or two once more, something that was becoming far too common with them, when a sharp gasp rang out. All eyes turned to Daniel, who’s own eyes were wide as dinner plates and had a hand hovering over his mouth. A simple phrase fell from his lips.

“The kids….”

And soon Johnny joined him with the terrified look of wide eyes and an open mouth. Oh lord the kids. What the hell were they going to say? What the hell would they think? What would they do? Would they even be able to see Miyagi? Questions bounced off the inner walls of his skull like those cheap rubber bouncy balls you get at arcades, Daniel experiencing a similar feeling. 

“Is it bad if your students see?” Miyagi asked with a small raise of his eyebrow. 

“No offense, Mr. Miyagi, but I’m not too sure how they would take to seeing someone who they know is dead suddenly.” Daniel tried to explain, shrugging his shoulders softly. 

“LaRusso is right,” Johnny added, nodding. “Especially considering how often LaRusso likes to mention you by name.”

“And besides, aside from most of the kids there's….”

“Samantha-Chan.” Miyagi finished, breathing softly with a nod. 

Daniel sighed, nodding. “Yeah…..Sam….who knows how that would go down….”

The three seemed to breathe in unison as they sat there, trying to think of what they could say next. There was so much that could be said, but so many questions within said things held no answer. Looking up from the table, Johnny and Daniel found themselves locking eyes with the other. They both turned, looking to Miyagi. Quiet….

“Well,” Johnny said with a small huff, “Guess there’s only one way to find out, huh? Now, I came to ask you about lesson plans for Tuesday LaRusso. I think with that we can work in what to do with Casper here during that time too, yeah?”

Silence…

...then warm laughter.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Shorter cause I’m lacking sleep but hey! They got a small conversation in! Only there’s one small problem now...what are they going to do about the kids? 
> 
> I have recently been reminded that it’s cannon (thank you Rhiannon Thrasher) that Sam saw Miyagi as a grandfather like Daniel sorta saw him as a father figure so now that Im sure it’s cannon it will 100% come into play here later. 
> 
> Until Next time, stay tuned!!


	7. Ring-a-Ding-Ding

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I do not own the characters from The Karate Kid or Cobra Kai 
> 
> Enjoy!

He wished he could say that he didn’t go home and down at least four beers after that, key words “at least.” He really wished he could say he didn’t. Not because it was bad or whatever, no, but because of the damn headache he was so wonderfully gifted by Mother Nature or whoever the fuck upon waking up to his phone going off. Now before you go judging, what the hell else was he supposed to do when he spent the day talking to a fucking ghost? Nothing else, that’s what. At least according to Johnny Lawrence. So here he was, face down on his pillow with a splitting headache trying to work up the energy to push past the throbbing in his skull to grab at his phone. 

The calloused hand slapped around the bedside ( _at least I made it to my bed_ , the back of his mind pointed out) table, looking for the damned object. He remained silent throughout his search until something slid off the table and the buzzing as well as the familiar tone seemed to get further away. A grumble sounded under his breath, one sounding awfully similar to the word “fuck,” and with that his head lifted. Groggy eyes scanned the ground until his fingers were able to successfully wrap around the device. Without bothering to so much as look at the caller ID he clicked answer.

“Who the hell is-“

“Johnny! Get over here now!” Daniel’s voice blasted from the small speaker directly into the ear of the blond, earning a sleep-heavy groan. 

“Damnit LaRusso, I can hear you just fine. Ever consider some people like to sleep?” He grumbled under his breath, shifting under the covers to lay on his back. As much as he hated the newly offending sun, he knew enough to be aware that with Daniel’s tone there was no more sleep in his near future. “The hell is going on? Did you do something?”

“I didn’t do anything, but I need you over here as soon as possible,” Daniel explained, words coming faster than Johnny could process them. “And it’s like- 11:45. Get up.”

“Says the man who calls 9:45 sleeping in.”

“Oh ha ha. Sorry some of us like to be productive.”

The blond laughed softly, covers falling off him as he sat up. Feet swung over the edge of the bed, free hand combing through his hair. Go figure, Daniel was going to ride his ass about this too. Why wasn’t he surprised? 

On the other end of the call, Daniel only heard shuffling. He wasn’t sure what exactly was going on but he was willing to assume the worst. “Johnny, what the hell are you-“

“I’ll see you in 15.”

The call ended.

Text Inside 'center' Tag

————

“Wow, aren’t you a piece of art?”

“Well excuse me, _princess_ , but some of us don’t take two hours to get ready.”

“I do not take two hours and you could have done way better.”

“You wake me up, yell at me to get over here, and are now complaining about how I look. Thanks LaRusso. That’s some real class you’ve got there,” Johnny spat back, crossing his arms. He wasn’t even in the gate when Daniel decided to play smartass. Just his luck. A hangover and a petty jerk to deal with. Thanks God, Satan, the Universe- whoever the hell you are. 

“Says the man coming over here hungover,” Daniel hissed, eyes narrowing as he stared down the taller blond. He wanted to be a dick? Fine, he could be that way. But two were gonna play that way if one was. “Really Johnny?”

“Oh well I’m sorry, what else am I supposed to do when I show up to talk to my high-school-karate-rival/co-sensei and I’m met with Casper the friendly ghost??” Johnny huffed, eyebrows furrowing as he leaned down towards Daniel. He smirked, taunting Daniel without so much as a word, before standing right back up. “Speaking of, where’d he go? Normally you’re following him around like a baby duck.”

Offense blooms across Daniel’s face for a second, hand raised and finger pointed as if ready to tell Johnny off. The look was held for a moment or two, air overflowing with enough tension to convince the average Joe that the two held each other at gunpoint. Following the silence came a sigh, echoing from the brunette. His eyes drifted to the side, chocolate brown irises locking seemingly across the backyard of the property. His head dropped. A hand rose from his side, resting with fingers out and palm to the sky as it motioned toward where Daniel’s eyes had been planted. Another sigh reaches the blond’s ears.

“LaRusso, what the hELL-!!”

In front of them, right before their eyes, the ghostly figure of Mr. Miyagi faded into view. That smile, the face, the hair, the body- all of it. Directly under broad daylight, even, was the soft glow correctly. First his shoes, then legs, then arms and torso, and finally his head. All of it, appearing out of seemingly nowhere. Looking back at their original plan? This was not at all what all what they had planned for. Correction: not at all what _Johnny_ had planned for. To make matters worse the ghostly man decided that this was, in fact, the prime time for a simple phrase or two. 

“Good morning Johnny-San. How you sleep?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Shorter chapter today brought to you by my own lack of sleep and horrible headache. With tomorrow being a Friday and what I have planned I should be able to get a much longer chapter out. Anyways, ghost man can go invisible! What trouble shall he get into? Stay tuned to find out!!

**Author's Note:**

> Well well well look who’s here! Gosh Daniel, what’s going on with you? You look like you’ve seen a ghost! Ok that was bad. Sorry. Anyways! Looks like another curveball has appeared in the lives of Daniel LaRusso and eventually others. More to come and hopefully those chapters are longer heh. Stay Tuned!


End file.
